Protection against Blood Borne Infections

As a first aid provider you need not be afraid of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B or any other blood-borne infection. Why? This fear can keep you from providing the needed first aid care to an injured athlete. It is true that open wound with bleeding may not be a common injury with many sports. However, there is need for you to take some precautions to protect yourself when coming to an injured player requires that you handle bloody wounds or dressing, mouth guards, body fluid, bloody clothing or bloody playing surface or equipment. We will discuss practical suggestions that will help you protect yourself.

Guidelines for Handling Injuries with Possible Blood or Body Fluid Contacts

There are many injury situations that may expose you to body fluids. These fluids are agents of pathogens. How can you protect yourself? The prevention of blood borne infections can be achieved when you follow these guidelines, which are:

1. Wear disposable examination gloves

2. Wear safety glasses

3. Use resuscitation mask. Remember the is for mouth–to–mouth resuscitation.

4. Immediately wash any part of your body that comes in contact with blood or body fluid

5. Bag all contaminated clothing and wash in hot water and detergent.

6. Clean contaminated surfaces, floor, and equipment with cleansing agent (bleach) and allow to air dry.

7. Remove your contaminated glove and place it properly in a biohazard waste bag along with hand ages. We will later discuss proper way to remove gloves.

8. Immediately wash your hands with soap and water after removing the gloves. Wash under running water.

If running water is not available, please, improvise.

Fig. 1. Show how you can do the improvisation.

These steps are very important and should be taken even when you feel you are sure that there is no threat of blood-borne infections. When you do, you are taking what is called universal precaution which requires that you treat all human blood and most body fluids as if they were infectious. However, after taking the universal precaution, one can still get contaminated with blood–borne infection, if the gloves are not properly removed.

Guidelines for Glove Removal

The following suggestions will help you to remove gloves in a way that protects you from blood borne infections:

1. Without touching the bare skin of your hand, pick or grasp the portion of the glove on any of your palms with the fingers of the opposite hand.

2. Gently pull the glove away from your palm, but down forwards the fingers, removing it inside out.

3. Continue pulling the glove with the opposite fingers until you have completely removed it from the hand.

4. Hold the removed glove with the fingers that pulled it out.

5. Without touching the outside of the glove on the other hand, carefully slide the index fingers from the wrist inside the glove.

6. Gently pull the glove outward and down toward the fingers. This is also done inside out. At the end, the earlier removed glove will be nested in the other glove.

7. Dispose off  the gloves in the appropriate place for it.

8. Use hand sanitizer to clean your hand.

Fig. 2 illustrates the steps to follow in the proper removal of glove after care

Wear gloves on both hands. Then follow the steps for removing gloves to remove them. If you make mistake or omit any step, start over again. Continue until you have mastered the steps.